Over the next four weeks, the top 16 teams (11 conference champions and five at-large) in the nation
will compete for the ultimate title in the December Madness playoff.

The results of each round will be revealed here (Fieldof16.com) on
Tuesdays December 16th, 23rd,
30th and January 6th
when a true national champion is crowned.

An updated bracket with scores, recaps and example boxscores
with play-by-play are below. To determine who wins and advances, WhatIfSports uses its
award-winning simulation software to "play" each game 1,001 times....
More >

And down goes the top seed.
Itís not necessarily an upset, as USC would actually be favored in this game,
but itís definitely an interesting outcome. Oklahoma has a record-breaking offense that may be the best
the college game has ever seen. USC has a record-breaking defense that may be equally as talented and
impressive.

When great strength collides with great strength, look at the weaknesses to find the winner.
The team that can best expose an opponentís downfall is generally the victor. Oklahomaís defense is the
much weaker of the remaining groups, ranking 57th in scoring defense overall, 66th in the nation in yards
per pass against (6.6 ypp) and 18th in yards per carry allowed (3.23 ypc - that may not sound bad, but
these two programs are in the top ten in just about every other relevant statistic).

With the likes of leading
December Madness MVP candidate Joe McKnight, smooth quarterback Mark Sanchez, veterans C.J. Gable, Patrick
Turner and Stafon Johnson and deep threat Ronald Johnson on offense, the Trojans have plenty of talent on
that side of the ball to match the defense.

USC uses that talent to exploit Oklahoma for big plays like
Ronald Johnsonís 37 yard gain that immediately precedes Stafon Johnsonís 46 yard touchdown in the fourth
quarter. As could be imagined in a six-point game, that sequence by fellow Johnsons is the most crucial in
the game and the most important in the December Madness tournament up to this point. The score puts USC up
27-10 with 7:41 to go, meaning that Oklahoma, which was within three points just four minutes earlier, has
to score at least three times to close the gap.

Heisman Trophy winner Sam Bradford leads a couple of good
drives against a slowing Trojan defense that has worked extra-hard to keep the Soonersí offense in check.
But, itís all for naught as USC is essentially able to run the clock out before a final-minute field goal
that seals the 30-24 win.

As was discussed in the previous game, the Trojans need to clean up their game
a little bit if they want to win this whole thing. The games keep getting harder and USC cannot afford the
lost fumble, the two missed field goals or the amount of penalties that it has in this Final Four game.

Either way, this is just another game of the Madness that lives up to the hype. Who wouldnít watch these
matchups? The fifth-seeded Trojans will now play for it all in the December Madness Championship against
either the #2 Florida Gators or #3 Texas Longhorns.

Itís official.
Neither of the teams in the December Madness Championship is represented
in the BCS title game. We need a playoff like this. Texas, which arguably has the best
resume of any team going into this playoff, takes the second-seeded Florida Gators to
overtime Ė and wins.

With exactly one field goal attempted per game on average for both
teams, few thought this game would come down to the kicking game, but it does. Following
a relatively tame first half that sees "just" 24 points scored, the Gators and Longhorns
trade touchdowns throughout the third and fourth quarters.

The last of those scores is
a Colt McCoy 16 yard scamper to put the Longhorns up 34-31 with 1:01 remaining. In Lubbock,
that was too much time. This time? Tim Tebow and company cram eight plays into the final
minute of the game, giving senior kicker Jonathan Phillips a chance to tie the game from
42 yards as time expires. Phillips, who has never made a kick longer than 40 yards, and
was not even needed by Florida in six of its 13 regular season games, knocks the kick through
the uprights. Overtime.

In the extra session, Florida gets the ball first Ė and flounders.
A one yard loss, a nine yard gain and a stuffed run lead to a 34 yard field goal attempt.
This time Phillips misses the kick - just his third miss on the year- and the ball goes
to the underdogs.

Knowing it only needs a field goal, Texas runs six consecutive times and
sets up for the game-winning 27 yard kick. Junior kicker Hunter Lawrence bests his counterpart
by making the biggest kick of his life and celebrating the Longhornsí berth in the biggest
college football game ever played Ė one that actually counts.

Colt McCoy wins the player
of the game with 283 passing yards, 32 rushing yards, three total touchdowns and no turnovers.
He wins the matchup of Heisman finalists, yet it probably would have gone the other way if
the result were different. Tebow completes 74% of his passes for 270 passing yards, 19
rushing yards, three total TDs and no turnovers.

Itís McCoy and Texas facing USC and
its historically great defense in the December Madness Championship January 6th. Enjoy
the Madness.

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